I just returned from a long-weekend trip to Virginia to see a friend ordained into the ministry and another friend who pastors a small church. The drive up I-85 through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia was long, but I went through a number of cities that really have their stuff together.

Richmond skyline from the river.

We're working to revitalize our downtown area; I wonder if any of our city leaders have visited Greenville, S.C. That little city is on the move. A short drive north from there is Charlotte, N.C. One of the first things a visitor sees on approach to Charlotte are billboards for the professional sports teams that call the city home. And Charlotte has an impressive skyline now, too. Charlotte left us behind long ago. Then there's Durham, home to Duke University. Our UAB can compete with Duke, but what Duke has done is join forces with nearby North Carolina State and North Carolina to create one of the most dynamic research triangles in the nation, and the whole venture gets lots of state backing, too. UAB does it practically on its own, with little help from the state. And finally, there is Richmond, a beautiful city that, like Birmingham, values its green spaces. One of the great areas in Richmond to eat, drink and be merry is called Carytown -- and Birmingham has nothing like it. Lakeview is a mini-mini-version; same for 5-Points South.

Cities our size -- and those a little bigger and a little smaller -- have figured it out. These are all Southern cities, and had many of the same problems we historically have had in Birmingham. Yet, they manage to move forward. We spin our wheels, run in place, bicker, tear down, say no-no-no and whine and complain.